Condenados

Yo, Latin America is divided
The union of sister nations as Bolivar dreamed
An idea that today is destroyed
Because of human stupidity and aggressive behavior

Racism to me is worse than AIDS
It's worse than the coronavirus or any known pandemic
Because it has been around forever
And there are no vaccines for ignorance
It is through education that it is eliminated

The Venezuelan was always polite
I grew up with Colombians, Italians, and Portuguese
With Peruvians, Chileans, Pekinese, Cantonese
Living on the same land all at once

Venezuela was a land of prosperity
Where many came from abroad and found hope
Because we put our belly to it
Because that's what characterizes us: We are nurturing

But nowadays times have changed
And unfortunately those days of glory are over
And now that bad times have hit the Venezuelans
The sister countries have forgotten their history

I have seen videos of xenophobia
Saying they hate us, treating Venezuelans like scum
Upset because they pay taxes and paperwork
And that we take away job opportunities from them

That we brought violence and crime
That we are murderers and a bunch of ugly arguments
And every wound has scars
It seems unfair that a few generalize us
Mistreat us, humiliate us, and step on us
What is our crime? Migrating to try to be happier?

I am outraged by these shameful acts
To hear a Latino express themselves in such a horrible way
Countries that went through the same as us
Devaluation, repression, persecution, and harassment

Condemn me if I am a liar
And I don't generalize, this is directly to the prejudiced
But it seems that some Peruvian buddies
Forgot the times of shining paths

Or that some Colombian brothers
Forgot the times when coffee prices dropped
When the bolivar was worth more than the peso
Many went to Venezuela in search of progress

A Panamanian should understand
They also suffered a dictatorship and a narco government
But there are some who have forgotten and hatred blinds them
Despite the hell they lived with Noriega

I suppose the Chileans understand
After that coup against Salvador Allende, on September eleventh
That led to a terrible dictatorship
And seventeen years of violence, repression, and torture

Argentina also knows how difficult it is
They know inflation, devaluation, and what a crisis is
Like in '89 and 2001
The empty fridge and not even an egg for breakfast

My intention is not to offend you (no)
But to remind you of all the shit we have lived through
And that we have something in common to be united
And that historically we have always been screwed

Wounds that have tried to cover them
But they are indelible because of the scars of the shrapnel
Forbidden to forget them or detach them
Because a people who forget their history are bound to repeat it